Suspicion Lits A Spark In My Mind!
Nazir Jahangir
In civilized nations society is judged by the values it upholds, particularly such civilized societies and developed nations are always sensitive when it comes to recognizing and celebrating accomplishments. However, in this land where I live “yehan bawa adm he nirala ha”, we have singular modes and different methods and traditions.
There are numerous instances when awards offered to ingenuine individuals, while those who truly deserved recognition were ignored and deprived. This disturbing trend reflects a bankruptcy of society’s moral compass and highlights the need for a reevaluation of our values.
I penned this write-up to explore the repercussions of honoring ingenuine people and neglecting the truly deserving, shedding light on the wider implications for our social fabric and I hope it will reach to the people who are at the helm of affairs and they will give a share of their attention towards what I ventilated.
The rise of ingenuity over genuineness and merit in society will diminish the creativity and talent, and originality will take backseat. Sense of honesty, integrity will vanish from the human minds and the concepts of merit seen based on qualifications, skills, talent, creativity, craft and achievements and deemed prerequisites for success and recognition will fade away, as a consequence, a culture of insincerity and superficiality will perpetuate.
Appreciation and awards do not enhance the intellectual calibre nor adds anything more to skills so these things have not any impact on one’s intelligence and knowledge. Nevertheless, these accolades contribute to an individual’s self-esteem and bring a joy of recognition and boosts spirit. Moreover, such honors often inspire individuals to improve their writing skills, leading to overall growth. Witnessing such appreciations and gratitude from the society or the government, individuals are motivated to excel in their field and remain dedicated to making positive contributions to society.
However, the significance of these honors and awards diminishes when they are granted to undeserving, foolish, and unworthy individuals. This creates the perception in the esteemed circles of society, reputable literary communities, and social circles about power being in the wrong hands. One is forced to arrive at an opinion that incompetent individuals are entrusted with maintaining order and discipline. Consequently, the entire society loses hopeb in honest governance and confidence in genuine intellectuals shatter, while core values start to deteriorate. So the corruption, incompetence, sycophancy, and falsehood become the norm, leading society towards destruction. Good values start to crumble and this idea strengthens the common belief that goodness is what brings benefits, while evil is that which causes harm. A belief reinforces associating goodness with personal gains and evil is deemed what harms the self interests. Naturally, these beliefs transform a society into a social jungle.
My personal opinion and observation is that such an environment has almost already engulfed Kashmir and it appears Kashmir is becoming a social jungle in this context. The circumstances manifest the prevalence of this situation in Kashmir for a very long time now, and whether it pertains to literary awards, state honors, or PhD degrees, the judgments seem to be made mostly on fruad by ignorant, incompetent, and corrupt individuals. One is constrained to derive the conclusion that these accolades are obtained through monetary means, political influence, or compromised standards. Similar factors and motives seem in the granting of PhD degrees; literary awards, and state honors are already thought suspicious in most of the cases.
Awards and appreciations and other honors are traditionally a symbol of meritocracy and bestowed on the basis of talent, dedication, and significant achievements. However, when deserving individuals are sidelined and those who are well-connected or politically influential given these honors instead, the very essence of meritocracy crumbles and ultimately eroding societal trust in institutions and systems. If trend of unfairness, dishonesty and corruption is allowed to go on, this will not only stifle social mobility but also hamper the growth and progress of society as a whole. Credibility of the important institutions are already jeopardized and if it continues to prevail, then people will lose all the faith in the fairness and transparency of the selection process, which can have far-reaching consequences.
A decline in trust weakens the social fabric and can lead to disillusionment, resentment, and a general breakdown of societal cohesion.
Nazir Jahangir is a noted journalist and columnist